Picking Up The Pieces
by Amethyst Garden
Summary: Sora is now home after fighting the darkness for so long, but life has gone on without him. Can Sora readjust to life that isn't a constant battle? What about his feelings for Kairi and Riku? What about homework? BTW I suck at summaries.


I think that there is some great emotion in Kingdom Hearts and KH2. In this story I've tried to capture some of that emotion and play on it in ways that the games could never do. The story picks up in a very familiar place for those of you who beat the game. As I'm sure you'll notice, I picked and chose which parts of the ending sequence I actually wanted to dictate. The story isn't slash at the moment, but it will be getting there sometime in the future. This is not a romance between Sora and Riku, so don't expect more time to be spent on them then anything else. I am incorporating Sora and Riku as a couple into the story because I honestly believe that they have feelings for each other that Square Enix could only hint at because of Disney.

He was falling. Patterns of light played on the backs of his eyelids and he could feel the wind whipping past him. Then there was a splash. Coolness washed over his body. His mind registered the need for air as his body pushed reflexively towards the surface of the water. His head broke the surface to the sounds of seagulls circling above and waves crashing close by. Beside him was Riku, the sunlight playing wonderfully in his silver hair. At a glance they both knew that now, after all these years of searching, they were home. With a look they both took off towards shore. Kairi called over the sounds of the waves in his ear, and the site of her waving at him on the sand spurred him on. His leg hit sand and he staggered as his muscles made the transition from swimming to running. He pushed past the sand and the surf, not even realizing as Riku held back. Kairi stood before him, all smiles and warmth, but soon his view was obscured by a large black body jumping before him. Goofy threw himself upon Sora, and when Donald joined them, Sora could no longer stand and fell back into the shallows with a splash. Fondness filled his heart and broke thru in his wide, childish grin. There was splashing beside him and out of the corner of his eye he saw the king run unabashed past him and into the arms of Riku. Finally they were all here, finally together after all the trials, betrayals, and heartache. Sora had found his friends, and he was home.

The wind felt good on his face. Unkempt brown hair blew away from his face as he faced the ocean, watching the last rays of sunlight stain the sky. Magenta set the background for purple clouds as night encroached. Above, two seagulls spun in lazy circles, just black dots against the sky, before turning towards their roosts.

Sora leaned back on his hands and smiled contentedly. After all these years, he had never forgotten the feel of the ocean. This ocean and all his memories of this island were just as much a part of him as the memories of his friends that drove him through his searching.

"You know, this is where it all started," Riku said. He was leaning against the tree that Sora was sitting on, his long silver bangs obscuring his eyes from view. He had his arms crossed and was staring pointedly at his feet.

"It is, but this time everything is different," Kairi, sitting on Sora's other side, said, leaning foreword to look at Riku. (AN-this is a replica of the scene at the beginning of KH1 where Riku firsts talks of leaving the island)

"We've come a long way," Sora agreed. "Everything is different now. Everything but this," he placed one hand on Kairi's knee and the other on Riku's shoulder. "We made it! We are still together after it all this time. We got each other back. We won!" He flashed a smile to both of them, his eyes lighting up with the unabashed childish joy that all the darkness he had seen had yet to extinguish.

"Yeah, I guess we did," Riku leaned back and tilted his head up to the darkening sky above. On his lips was a smile of his own.

Above, the first stars began to blink into existence.

Sora pushed tentatively on the door and winced visibly as it creaked loudly. Once the door was open wide enough to allow his body to slip through, he entered into the brightly lit room. His eyes quickly scanned the room for Heartless before he could stop himself. _Of course there are no Heartless_, he thought. _Stop being so paranoid, Sora_. He breathed and forced himself to relax, but his heart was still pounding for other reasons. Surrounding him were artifacts of his past. The room was small, homey, with a very lived in air about it. A large bay window overlooking the ocean lit the room during the day but now gaped in the darkness outside. Electric lamps lit the room now and chased the shadows. Pictures of his childhood still hung on the walls, his characteristic smile in every one. Sitting on the yellow floral couch facing the window and the door were Sora's parents. Sora let his hand fall to his side where it remained, motionless. His parents remained where they were beside each other on the couch. The air thickened and time yawned into a cavern between them. Sora rubbed the back of his head, noticing at once how much longer it was since that last day two years ago. He attempted to plaster a grin on his face, and laughed uncomfortably.

"Heheh, hi there," was all he could say.

Neither of their expressions changed, but Sora's father held up his hand and in it was a piece of parchment Sora had not noticed before. He did immediately notice the royal emblem stamped on the outside.

"We received this the day after the storm," his father said, his voice trembling slightly with heavy emotion. His fingers deftly unrolled the parchment with the easy of someone who had done it many times before and cleared his throat. He began to read the letter, his voice rising in confidence as it spoke words that were obviously very familiar.

_Dear Sir and Madam,_

_I am truly sorry that I cannot give you this message in person, but I am needed elsewhere. I am sure that by this point you have noticed that your son, Sora, is missing, along with his friends Kairi and Riku. Do not waste time looking for them, for the paths the three of them walk are unable to be followed. Sora is fulfilling his destiny. _

_I will not lie to you, there is a very large danger in what Sora is doing, and he might not make it back to you. I have faith in him and the light in his heart to pull him through, though, and you should as well. Sora is stronger than anyone thinks, and that will play to his advantage as he fights the darkness._

_I cannot tell you when Sora will return, and he might be very different from the boy whom you cherish now._

_I again apologize for being unable to tell you this all in person._

_King Mickey_

So the king did know what was going to happen that night, Sora thought. He knew that I was going to be taken...

His mother's voice cut into his thoughts.

"Is it true? Were you with this…King Mickey?"

"Well, not in the beginning. You see, he was sort of lost, but not really. He knew where he was but we didn't. We looked for him everywhere, and we looked for Kairi and Riku," Sora stopped trying to explain himself when he realized he was making no sense whatsoever, but that did not matter because at that point his mother stood up and swiftly crossed the room to where Sora was standing. Sora saw tears sparkling in her eyes, and then his face was enveloped in her arms. Sora tensed at the first touch but melted as the old memories came swimming back to him. Memories of his parents and their love, memories of his childhood, everything he had tried to hide the past long years came bubbling up to the surface in his mother's embrace. He felt his own tears welling in his eyes and, for the first time since he left on his journey though darkness and light, he cried for his home. He cried for the time he had missed, he cried for the pain of his parents. He cried for the loss of something deep inside, his innocents.


End file.
